CityLab Daily: America’s First Greenbelt May Be in Jeopardy

Also: Can Dallas learn to love bikes? And comparing two mayors who want to be president.

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What We’re Following

Old town road: In 1958, Lexington, Kentucky, adopted the first greenbelt in the United States. It wasn’t an environmental move; instead, it was championed by the politically powerful horse industry, which found its land bumping up against a booming suburban population. But this year, after 60 years of growth, the greenbelt featured prominently in an unusually dramatic battle over the city’s comprehensive plan.

As in many other cities, the greenbelt is seen as a barrier. Housing affordability recently emerged as a major political issue locally, and many argue it’s time to tap into this undeveloped ring around the city. City planners, meanwhile, say that’s not the only option: There’s plenty of room for development inside the ring, if only the zoning would allow for it. But as the city looks forward, it’s an open question whether or not the green space can survive. Today on CityLab:America’s First Greenbelt May Be in Jeopardy

Red-Eye Flight

Yesterday was the opening of New York’s new TWA Hotel, the long-awaited reincarnation of a 1962 airport terminal designed by midcentury master Eero Saarinen at JFK International Airport in Queens. The terminal ceased operations in 2001, but its dramatic interior is now revived as a hotel lobby.

Jetlagged customers can stay in one of the 512 rooms in two new black-glass buildings. Visitors can also enjoy a vintage airplane that’s been retrofitted into a cocktail bar, and a rooftop infinity pool that overlooks the runway. The building even got its own typeface. CityLab’s Amanda Kolson Hurley has the story: The Glamour of the Jet Age Lives on at the TWA Hotel